Ambush-slay of San Carlos City cop drug-related — police

SAN CARLOS CITY — The San Carlos City Police said the ambush-slaying of a policeman and the wounding of another by armed men along the road in Barangay Agdao here Tuesday morning could be drug-related.

P/Supt. Nestor Cusi, chief of police of San Carlos City, revealed the lone fatality, PO2 Jimbo Agtarap, 30, who was shot by the armed men while on board his motorcycle as he was going to report for work at 8:00 a.m., was a member of the drug enforcement team of the San Carlos City police station.

His colleague, PO1 Rachael Cancino, who was on board another motorcycle, gave chase to the suspects who were on board a get-away vehicle, a Toyota High-Ace van with Plate No. VN 9305, but was shot by the suspects on foot.

Both policemen were rushed to the Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation Hospital in San Carlos City where Agtarap was declared dead on arrival. Cancino is now recuperating from his wound.

Meanwhile, the white van where the gunmen were on board was intercepted by the police in a checkpoint at 8:50 a.m. Tuesday in Barangay Dalaguiring, Urbiztondo town, where its occupants exchanged fires with lawmen.

There, the suspects alighted and escaped to an adjacent corn field where joint elements of the police from San Carlos City, Urbiztondo. Mangatarem, Bayambang, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) from Calasiao pursued them.

By nightfall, the operating team had not found any of the suspects.

The vehicle abandoned by the suspects yielded one Infratec Caliber 9mm assault rifle with serial number 88911124, one magazine for the said firearm, loaded with 19 live ammunition, one silencer and four fired cartridge cases of caliber 45 pistol.

The vehicles vehicle is now under the temporary custody of the Urbiztondo police.

Investigation on the incident is continuing. LVM/PNA-northboundasia.com